The New York State Vendor File is a centralized database of all vendors that provide goods or services to, have an ongoing relationship with or receive payment from New York State. The file identifies each vendor by a State-assigned ten-digit vendor identification number (Vendor ID) instead of by its federal Tax Identification Number (TIN).
Effective May 8, 2011, vendor contact information became required data for every State authority contract transaction submitted to OSC for prior approval or filing. Vendor contact information is needed so that NYS can establish a unique Vendor ID for each vendor. A Vendor ID is necessary for the CSS to interact with other internal OSC systems, especially Open Book New York.
The vendor contact name must be an executive who makes legal and financial decisions in the vendor’s organization.
Every transaction submitted to OSC for filing or approval is subjected to a vendor name and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) check against the Vendor File, and if a match is found, the transaction is accepted for further processing. Research suggests that the vast majority of vendors on State authority contracts submitted in CSS already have an assigned Vendor ID. When the vendor is not found on the Vendor File, a Vendor ID request is initiated by OSC staff. A Vendor ID can be created only after the vendor’s Legal Business Name and TIN is validated against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database. When an IRS match is found, a Vendor ID is assigned.
In the past, there had been no consequence to State authority contract processing when the CSS and IRS data did not match. Beginning October 14, 2015, OSC internal systems will no longer allow transactions to be approved or filed without a Vendor ID (i.e. IRS match).
Interim Vendor ID Procedures
For the short term, if a Vendor ID on a State authority contract cannot be found or created, the transaction will be non-approved by OSC with an explanation that the vendor’s name and TIN are not a valid combination. Should this occur, the authority will reenter the transaction in CSS with the corrected vendor Legal Business Name and/or TIN. This may require the authority to contact the vendor to obtain accurate information. OSC anticipates this interim procedure being in place through early 2016. To avoid a potential delay in contract approval or filing, authorities are encouraged to ensure a vendor’s Legal Business Name and TIN are accurate when entered in CSS in the first instance. One method to ensure accurate information is to obtain from the vendor an IRS Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification.
Long Term Vendor ID Solution
The planned long term solution is to enhance the CSS application to provide a Vendor ID lookup feature so that authorities can identify in advance of contract submission whether the vendor already has a Vendor ID. Additionally, a mechanism will be established for authorities to initiate Vendor ID requests when one does not already exist.
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